Aviva Lieberman and Ilana Kaufman
Lander College for Women Alumni Become Nurses
What made you decide to become nurses?
Aviva Lieberman (AV): I’ve always loved biology and the body and I chose to become a nurse because nurses treat the whole patient instead of a particular disease. It’s one of the most caring professions you can be in.
Ilana Kaufman (IK): I chose nursing because I wanted to be able to create a warm environment for patients where they feel that they have someone looking out for them and advocating for them. I feel that the nursing relationship is primarily giving of yourself, and I wanted that as a profession.
What are your plans for your career?
AL: I’m leaning towards working in the ER. I enjoy the fast-paced environment and the critical skills you need to be successful there. Plus, if you work in the ER, you see such a wide variety of cases and people from different walks of life.
IK: I’m hoping to work in cardiology.
Was there a definitive moment when you felt like you were a nurse?
AL: I think when we had a patient in septic shock, and we had to initiate sepsis protocol. Instinctively, we knew what we needed to do, and we did it and saved the patient.
IK: Our last final. It finally hit me that we were done and worked hard and accomplished so much.
How do you feel right now?
AL: Proud, excited, and ready to get out there.
IK: A lot of emotions. Becoming a nurse was a lot of hard work, but it paid off.
